So many needs, but every little bit really does help

You've seen the advertisements, had friends and family ask for donations, and probably participated in them yourself. It's a fact: walks help raise awareness and money. You know about breast cancer because of the three-day walk. The Coast-to-Coast walk for MS and the ADA walk for diabetes made you more aware of those diseases. And perhaps you've heard of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, from hearing about the Walk to D'Feet ALS.

It seems that everywhere you turn there is a need that must be filled. It's easy to get bogged down with all the fundraisers, worthy causes and legitimate needs. Sometimes you may contemplate ignoring everything altogether. After all, the little bit you do couldn't possibly help with the big picture, right?

Gae Skager is here to tell you it does.

Skager, a woman who has been living with ALS for 4½ years, is an example of someone who has been helped by the money raised from the Walk to D'Feet ALS, put on by the ALS Association, Minnesota Chapter.

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LS is a terminal illness that attacks a person's nerves and paralyzes the muscles. Skager, a mother of three, ages 12 to 17, first noticed it when she had trouble with her hands, performing her duties as a trauma center nurse. Next the disease attacked her legs. She received a power wheelchair on loan to her from the ALS Association, Minnesota Chapter, so she could maintain normal activities like "going around Lake Harriet with my family and friends."

Eventually, a person with ALS will no longer be able to move, speak or even breathe. There is no known cure. Skager says, "I have been forced to face my mortality."

Skager does not consider herself a victim, but chooses to live her life in appreciation of each moment. "None of us are really independent," she says. She must overcome considerable challenges each day, yet she continues to enrich the lives of others. Skager uses her DynaVox computer, also loaned by the ALS Association, Minnesota Chapter, to "speak" to medical students, health care professionals, youth groups, legislators and several others in order to raise awareness for ALS.

Skager is involved with a monthly support group the Minnesota chapter offers, and it provides respite care that gives her husband a break with a home health aide to care for her a few hours twice a week.

Each year, the Minnesota chapter holds a walk to raise money and awareness in hopes of eliminating this devastating disease and to help those living with it. The Minnesota chapter is working to "fund promising research into the cause, treatment and management of ALS." The money received from the walks will also help with providing items for loan, support groups and organizing volunteers to provide respite care.

By participating in this year's Walk to D'Feet ALS, not only will you be helping people like Gae Skager, but you'll also be helping yourself. Walking is beneficial to your health in many ways. It increases your endurance, helps you lose weight, and keeps your heart healthy. Knowing you have been part of a larger effort to make people's lives better makes you a better person as well.

There is no known cause, and ALS can attack anyone at any age. An average of two people each week are diagnosed with ALS in Minnesota alone. In order to truly D'Feet ALS, the Minnesota chapter needs everyone's help. They would love for you to join them on Sept. 30. Registration begins at the Lake Harriet Bandshell at 9 a.m. (you can register the day of the walk or online at www.alsmn.org), and the walk starts at 10 a.m.

Perhaps you'll see Skager participating in the walk to help raise money and awareness. Sometimes it's hard for people to know what to do when they're around someone with a disease or disability. Skager suggests we remember we are all interdependent, look one another in the eye, smile and say hello.

Jansina Grossman, 16, of Blaine, is a junior at Bethel University, studying English literature and writing. Earlier this year, she received the President's Volunteer Gold Award and the Congressional Gold Award, in large part for her efforts to promote awareness of ALS.
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